Survey: The changing views of federal telework

In many ways, the ability of agencies to quickly pivot the vast majority of their workforces to full-time telework has been the story of the year.

Telework naysayers before the pandemic have come to rely on it now. Many agency leaders have touted the productivity of their workforces during the pandemic, and some are considering how a more flexible remote work policy might expand their recruitment pool, reduce their office space footprint and improve employee engagement.

We surveyed our readers on several occasions this year about their telework experiences. At the very beginning of the pandemic, federal employees offered mixed opinions. Many were still new to remote work, and just a slim majority said it was easy or somewhat easy to accomplish all of their tasks virtually.

By late spring, many federal employees said they enjoyed remote work, even if it meant they worked longer hours. Productivity was up, IT glitches were down.

By June, some agencies had started preparing reentry plans and began calling some employees back to the office. The vast majority of federal employees we surveyed were still uncomfortable with the prospects of returning to work in person.

Now with 2020 coming to a close, we’re asking our readers to look forward.

Nine months into the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, where does your agency sit today with its telework and remote work policies? Has the pandemic prompted any big policy changes? Have leaders within your organization shifted their attitudes about telework?

If you are still teleworking, is the experience starting to wear on you?

Whenever the pandemic ends and it’s safe to gather in big, enclosed office spaces again, how often would you choose to work remotely — if you could pick your ideal schedule?

Share your thoughts in our anonymous survey, which can be found here and below. We will publish the results at the beginning of next year.

Create your own user feedback survey

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